Zizzi - Bridgend — Restaurant in Wales

After a pleasurable morning shopping, my daughter, myself and 22 month old grandson stopped here for lunch. We were seated quickly by a very pleasant member of staff. Once seated, we were served by another lady, about 10 mins later. We ordered starters and a main for us, and the three course children’s meal for our toddler. It was a long time before anything happened, and everyone that had arrived after us, had ordered and been served their meals. Finally, I saw our starters appear on the counter - at least 4 members of staff walked past the meals and ignored them. Three members were idly chatting at the bar, another was wiping tables. Our starters sat there for 10 minutes…yes we timed it. Finally, a staff member brought them to us. I pointed out they had been sat there for 10 minutes and were cold. She took them back. They obviously, just put them back in the oven to warm up again - when I fact, they should have made fresh. The food came back and was placed in front of us. Before we even picked up our cutlery to start, a female approached us and asked if we were ready for our main course! Seriously? When I pointed out we hadn’t even had a chance to start the first course, she became very abrasive. She didn’t believe me when I told her the starters had been returned because they were cold, and stated the plates were warm. For someone that I’m presuming was a supervisor, she had no people skills at all. I would add that by this time, our toddler still hadn’t received his food. When that finally arrived, she brought the starter and main course out at the same time for him ....not what we wanted. The food when it arrived, left a lot to be desired. I have eaten at many Zizzi’s, and this food was the worst presented and tasted. By this stage, we just wanted to go..Mrs Abrasive said she would take my starters off the bill..but that wasnt what it was about. It was about the fact that the food had sat there for so long while the staff just had a jolly old chat to each other, plus the fact that there seemed to be no concept of food presentation - just dumped on the plate. I had ordered the super salad, which I’ve always loved - it was a sorry mess. Finally, it was pudding time for our toddler…2 scoops of gelato, one vanilla, one chocolate. Easy you would think? No, of course not..after 15 minutes we were finally approached by a nice waitress who said there was no vanilla ice cream…it took 15 minutes to tell us that? So we asked for just chocolate ice cream for him. When that arrived, we asked for the bill….this was the quickest part of the service we experienced, the bill was brought to us quicker than any other part of the service. A really disappointing experience and we certainly won’t be returning to eat here. I look forward to the new restaurants being built nearby, because I’m pretty certain they will put this...

Ah, Zizzi – quite simply, a delightful sanctuary where the finest in Italian cuisine meets a convivial atmosphere, all wrapped in a tapestry of rustic elegance. From the moment one steps through the door, there is an undeniable sense that you are about to embark upon a dining experience of distinction, yet without the stuffiness of the typical fine dining establishment.

Allow me to draw your attention to the pièce de résistance: the Sticky Pig pizza. One might be forgiven for assuming that such a humble name could not possibly indicate the level of culinary sophistication contained therein. But do not be deceived. The base, exquisitely crisp and golden, supports a medley of ingredients so harmonious, it seems almost otherworldly. Smoky bacon, tender and decadent, is paired with the subtle sweetness of figs, their luscious nectar offering a counterpoint to the balsamic glaze, which graces the dish like the most elegant of finishing touches. It is a pizza that could easily be described as a masterpiece, with each bite more tantalising than the last. One may even feel an urge to abandon one's conversation mid-sentence in favour of the blissful pleasures found within this creation.

Next, we must speak of the Cheeky Olives. Do not be misled by their modest appearance – these olives are bold, almost audacious in their flavour, and yet utterly charming. A dash of brine here, a hint of zest there, and suddenly, these little orbs of delight have quite taken over the palate. They are, without question, the spirited characters of the evening, winking at you between sips of a robust red wine as though to say, "Come, join us in our merriment."

And let us not forget the pasta – divine, naturally. Each dish seems to be crafted with the precision of a maestro, from the finest ingredients that have been sourced with care. The sauces are rich, velvety, and entirely decadent, and one could easily imagine being transported to a sun-dappled terrace in Tuscany, with a glass of Chianti at hand and the distant sound of a violin serenading the evening.

Zizzi is the sort of establishment that manages to combine the best of both worlds: the sophistication one seeks in a fine dining experience, yet with a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that never quite feels too formal. One leaves not only satisfied but enchanted, with a heart and belly full of indulgence and a mind already plotting one’s next visit. A truly...

Could not fault the food!! The service let it down!!

Booked online asking for a nice table 4 people birthday celebration if possible. On arriving, the hostess thought we were a party of 7 ran off to set up a table and then when she got bk we explained no we have a booking for 7pm. Thats when she asked for name and showed us to the table she had set up at the back (nothing special) so that was a great start!

Our server, Ben I would later find out, was lovely. But when he asked us about allergies, he had to stop and get his manager to serve us, as he wasn't allowed🤔 The manager there slapped a folder down on the table told us to take a look and walked off!! When ordering, we then asked said manager, if any avacado oils were used, only to be told they only list 14 allergies and couldnt help us with that one😱 we took it upon ourself to get up and ask the chef in the kitchen. We all ordered starters which did not arrive at the same time. There was a 10 min wait between the first starter arriving and the last starter. Ben did notice and asked the kitchen what the hold up was and updated us.

Mains and dessert, were great the honeycomb cheesecake was amazing.

We then asked Ben for the bill. No paper bill, its on a tablet about the side of a mobile and when we questioned the bill amount, it was £30 over what we expected🤔 we were told it was a service charge. We refused to pay that and asked for it to be taken off. Ben had to speak with the manager, not the same one who served us and that took another 10 mins and still the bill was incorrect. I had to ask for a paper bill, for us to go through it and check things off!! eventually ended up paying the correct amount.

We tipped Ben in cash as he had been very helpfull and attentive and we could not fault him. His managers need to take a long look and learn fron him.

Would go back, because could not fault the food. But i would defo recommend checking the bill and not...